- Shamanic Breathing Technique Introduction: Leo Gura highlights the importance of breath in healing emotional blockages and facilitating therapeutic, psychedelic experiences. The technique is influenced by Stan Grof's holotropic breathwork, and Gura emphasizes the underestimated power of breath in our lives, referring to its significance in various spiritual traditions.
- Stan Grof's Contribution and Government Crackdown: Grof, a psychiatrist who was a pioneer in LSD clinical trials in the 1950s and 60s, helped people with severe psychological issues. These trials resulted in reports of near-death, out-of-body experiences, the emergence of repressed trauma, and other profound effects, demonstrating the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. However, the late 60s saw a governmental crackdown that led to a prohibition on psychedelics.
- Holotropic Breathwork as a Substitute: Following the LSD ban, Grof invented holotropic breathwork to create non-drug-induced psychedelic-like effects. Participants lie on the floor and engage in intensive, deep breathing sessions in workshops, an experience that has often been likened to possession. These workshops provide powerful therapies with the guidance needed to handle the emotionally draining process.
- Gura's Adaptation: Shamanic Breathing: Preferring solo personal development, Gura developed his own variation of Grof's technique, termed "shamanic breathing". Practised alone, it is designed to optimize the powerful healing potential of breath and is beneficial for silencing the mind, aiding emotional healing, releasing trauma and accessing altered states of consciousness. Breath also acts as a useful method for warming up and energizing the body, opening up chakras, and ultimately accessing enlightenment.
- Importance of being cautious while practicing Shamanic Breathing: The Shamanic breathing technique, a variation of Stan Grof's holotropic breathwork, is incredibly powerful and can be highly therapeutic, releasing deep emotions and traumas. However, it can induce strong responses such as panic attacks, hallucinations, rage, intense fear, and even feelings akin to dying. The technique can surface abuse or other deep traumas, which, while therapeutic, can also be distressing and cause issues if not appropriately managed. It can also cause out-of-body experiences and has physical risks, especially for those with specific medical or psychological conditions.
- Procedure for Shamanic Breathing: This technique necessitates careful preparation. Clearing the sinuses, hydrating the mouth, and moisturizing lips are advised since the technique involves mouth breathing. A comfortable, safe space is needed where the individual can lay flat and stretch out completely. A timer is set for 30 minutes (though this can be increased with practice). Equal time should be spent inhaling and exhaling with no pauses between breaths, focusing on belly and chest breathing. It's crucial to maintain a steady, relaxed pace and not to strain or overfill the lungs.
- Physical sensations and emotional experiences through the technique: After 10 minutes, it becomes increasingly challenging due to physical sensations like tiredness in the mouth and throat, a spinning head, and tingling in the extremities. By 30 minutes, the sensation is unique, almost psychedelic-like, with continued tingling or numbness in the extremities. The physical and mental blend into an altered state where old emotions, memories, and traumas may surface. Experiences can range from highly pleasant to extremely challenging.
- Post-practice care: After completing the 30-minute session, an additional 10-20 minutes should be spent lying down, observing and allowing the resultant state to peak and gradually decrease. It is important to be prepared for these experiences and reframe any negative feelings as positive indications of healing and progress.
- Accelerated version of meditation: The Shamanic breathing technique described by Leo Gura is akin to an accelerated form of meditation, condensing a year's worth of growth and development into a 30-minute session.
- Addressing negative emotions and trauma: The method encourages the surfacing of negative emotions, traumas, and "shadow stuff," which can then be consciously acknowledged, accepted, and released. The emotional purging may result in a higher baseline of consciousness and decrease neurosis.
- Warnings: Gura warns of possible "ego backlash," where the mind strives to revert to its pre-practice state after the session. Being mindful of this potential setback can help in containing its effects.
- Use as a supplement: The technique is excellent as a supplement, rather than a replacement, to regular meditation practices and even psychedelic experiences. It allows for conscious processing of emotional baggage prior to more profound existential exploration offered by psychedelics.
- Training yourself: Gura guides viewers in setting up a comfortable space for shamanic breathing and practicing the technique, noting that a session can vary from 30 to 90 minutes.
- Gradual approach: The engagement with this technique should be gradual, starting from 15-20 minutes and slowly escalating to longer sessions. It's recommended that the technique be practiced when there are no immediate obligations afterward, as the sessions can bring up intense emotional responses.
- Recommendations for scheduling: Gura suggests three scheduling options - weekly sessions over a year (like therapy), daily sessions over a week with breaks in between, or three sessions in one day (similar to a holotropic breathwork workshop). The choice depends on individual preference, tolerance, and goals.
- Holotropic breathwork scheduling options: Leo Gura outlines three different ways to incorporate shamanic breathing into your schedule. One option is to engage in a session once a week for a year, resulting potentially in a more stable psyche and release of old emotions and tensions. A second option involves doing a session every day for a week, with breaks in between weeks. The final, most powerful option involves three sessions in one day, similar to a holotropic breathwork workshop. This intense schedule can help purge a lot of emotional baggage.
- Holotropic breathwork workshops: Gura also suggests participating in holotropic breathwork workshops if they are available. These offer a guided group experience, with special music, food, and instruction. Despite potential scheduling or availability issues, Gura encourages trying out workshops as they can offer unique experiences that differ from practicing alone at home.
- Breathing technique for skeptics: People skeptical of spiritual concepts such as atheists are encouraged to try the breathing exercise. The technique can lead to altered states of consciousness and reveal facets of life beyond the rational or logical, serving as 'reference experiences' for mystical concepts. Even if the technique does not result in mystical states, therapeutic healing can be beneficial.
- Technique application: Leo Gura finishes by stressing the importance of applying the techniques he shares rather than just absorbing the theory. He asserts that it is the application of the techniques that brings transformative results and encourages the viewers to start practicing the techniques themselves.
- Importance of experiential knowledge: Gura criticizes those who rely solely on their academic or intellectual understanding of the techniques. He emphasizes the importance of firsthand experience in understanding the range of their potential effects and benefits.
- Role of breathing technique in self-actualization journey: Gura concludes by promising to share more techniques in the future, viewing these as stepping-stones in the journey of self-actualization - a process of realizing and expressing one's innate abilities and potentials.